After three consecutive losses, CCK gave themselves a massive boost by claiming three points in the relegation battle with Ovingdean, at Wish Park. Two goals from Tom Powell and Dave Jones’ tenth goal of the season guided the Badgers to a 3-1 victory.
The great escape that Tim Rose and his merry men made to Nottingham was dubbed in media circles as a “white flag” in the Badgers battle against relegation. The “weakened side” they left behind however, had other ideas. They battled with an Ovingdean side who were in good form having won their last three league matches. CCK started brightly with some good combination football between midfield and attack. Dave Sewell, Dave Jones, Mark Edwards, and Matt Carvel were passing and moving well as they looked to supply Tom Powell and Aaron Edwards with the ammunition to pose Ovingdean problems. Ovingdean were tough in the tackle and looked to earn the right to dominate the game physically. The CCK defence stood up to the threat as Dave Atherall, Ben Tucker, Mike Spence, and Brett Joyce often out-fought and out- thought the Ovingdean attack. A yellow card was, excuse the play on words, on the cards for some time as the sky blues imposed themselves and the referee brandished it after a tally of late tackles from Richard Woodley. This seemed to calm the game somewhat as the boundaries were set. The football then began to flow, and CCK struck first. Brett Joyce made a fantastic run from left back, weaving past defenders like they were cardboard cut-outs. The South African then superbly cut the ball back from the by-line, and watched as Tom Powell stabbed the ball goal wards. The unsighted keeper only saw the ball when it had trickled into the net at his near post. The crowd erupted as the CCK faithful saluted such a great start. The Badgers then dominated with more chances coming. Matt Carvel forayed down the right producing a powerful shot that was well saved. Tom Powell forced a save from the keeper, before Mark Edwards saw his shot narrowly miss the target after good approach play. It was Edwards’ brother, Aaron who could and perhaps should have doubled the CCK lead. Dave Jones played a through ball dissecting the high Ovingdean back-line and Edwards ran through on goal. He sublimely glided round the keeper before fluffing his lines with the goal gaping. Aaron continued to work hard and was a thorn in Ovingdean’s side throughout the game. CCK then came under several minutes of pressure as the five midfield of Ovingdean finally showed their numerical advantage and created chances. Paul Muzzall was forced into some brilliant saves to keep them out. The lead was looking fragile and so it proved to be when the sky blues equalised. Neat play down the right opened up a shooting chance for Richard Ja’Herm whose powerful shot found the right corner of the net. It was rough justice for CCK who responded brilliantly. The passing came back as shots from Dave Sewell, Dave Jones, and Aaron Edwards came close to restoring the lead. The half time break came at a bad time for CCK as the momentum was building. Dave Sewell’s temporary position as Managerial Consultant was tested during the break as he needed to keep the troops motivated going into the most important forty five minutes of the season so far.
Sewell worked his magic and the dominant display continued. Dave Jones and Dave Sewell got on the ball, while Matt Carvel and Mark Edwards continued to show great wing play. What was perhaps the most impressive was Ben Tuckers determined performance at centre back. Many questioned his selection in an unfamiliar role, but he answered the critics with some fantastic tackles, and hungry battling. He was helped by the experience and quality of Dave Atherall, Mike Spence, and Brett Joyce who kept the Ovingdean attack relatively quiet throughout. The attacking duo of Aaron Edwards and Tom Powell were a nuisance as they combined well together and linked the play beautifully with the midfield. Despite the good approach play, shots on goal were few and far between with Aaron Edwards and Tom Powell both coming close. The momentum was building and eventually it told. A one-two between Aaron Edwards and Dave Jones was intercepted by a defender, who could only poke into the path of Tom Powell who was through on goal. Powell showed great composure to steady himself in the inside left position before opening up his body and curling the ball past the keeper into the bottom right corner across the goal. Shortly after the goal Dan Harnden came on to replace Mark Edwards. Frustration began to creep into the Ovingdean players minds as challenges were uncompromisingly late, while dissent came far too regular. Three Ovingdean bookings later, CCK increased their lead. Good work down the right by Aaron Edwards culminated in a good cross. Tom Powell flicked the ball into the path of Dave Jones who had broken into the box from midfield. The midfielder rapped his left foot around the ball and laced it past the on-rushing keeper on the half-volley into the bottom right corner of the net. The CCK crowd went into frenzy as the points seemed sealed. This was not quite the case. Moments after the restart, a penalty was awarded to Ovingdean. Dave Atherall and the left winger ran into the box together and the player in sky blue ended up on the floor. The referee’s decision to point to the spot was later to cause a split on the Match of the day sofa. Alan Hansen believed that “If there is contact in the box like there was, it’s a penalty.” Mark Lawrenson however, felt the offender Dave Atherall was harshly punished, “He had his hand on the players shoulder because he’s about a foot taller than the small lad, there was no push. You see Crouchy do it all the time in an attacking situation and not get penalised, so while I’ve seen those decisions given, I think they’re a little soft.” The debate became irrelevant as the Ovingdean penalty taker shot wide. Paul Muzzall was forced into a few saves, which he made with aplomb, as the CCK defence showed great resilience. As Ovingdean became more desperate gaps opened up on the defence which allowed Tom Powell, Dan Harnden, and Aaron Edwards to have attempts at goal. The game was ended with the blow of the whistle which breathed renewed hope for CCK, who are now within touching distance of Premiership survival.
Managerial Consultant Dave Sewell felt that his side were more than value for their 3-1 victory when he spoke with Canal+ after the game, “It was great to get the three points. Fully deserved as well, because we played good football and worked hard as a team. We now go into the last two games of the season believing that we can stay in this league.” Captain for the day Dave Jones praised the commitment and quality of the side, when he spoke with reporters, “Many pundits questioned if we could get a win with so many players missing, but the guys that came in showed great desire and quality. We were the better team and it’s great to get this win under our belts. Two players in particular were brilliant for us today, Tom Powell who got two priceless goals, and Ben Tucker who was colossal at the back.” Man of the match Ben Tucker was delighted with the result in a game that he described as “pivotal”, “It was so important to win this game and we did it. All over the pitch we showed great commitment. If we keep that hunger going, we’ll be in this league next season.” It is believed that Tim Rose will be back at the helm on Tuesday as CCK face another vital game against AFC Stanley. A number of players will be back and available for the match at Greenleas.
